Back in January 1999, when the NBA last locked out its players in a fight over a new collective bargaining agreement, the deal that was finally agreed upon by the union passed by a vote of 179-5. That vote came at the union’s law office in New York, about 29 hours before the season was scheduled to be canceled. More than half the players in the union did not vote at all, and those who did voted without much knowledge of what was actually in the new collective bargaining agreement.

Suns point guard Kevin Johnson said at the time that the players were just eager to vote for something, anything: “We were just ready to throw down Wednesday at our meeting if an agreement hadn’t been reached.”

Former Suns guard Kevin Johnson says many players didn't know what they were voting for when they passed the CBA that saved the 1999 season. (AP Photo)

Now, as the owners and players move closer to resolving the issues that separate them in this year’s lockout, there is some resolution among the league’s agents to ensure that there isn’t a repeat of the scant and uninformed ’99 vote.

Owners and players are talking for a third straight day, with commissioner David Stern vowing, according to The Associated Press, that they will take “one heck of a shot” at ending the lockout.

Multiple agents tell SN that, should a deal between the NBA and union be reached, they will ensure not only that their players vote, but also that they will be given a rundown of the relevant points of the agreement.

That’s not to say the goal is to throw a monkey wrench into the works. “It is not a matter of telling players how to vote or crashing the party,” one agent said. “It is a matter of making sure they know what they’re voting for and pushing them to make sure their voice is heard. That wasn’t the case in the last lockout. No one wants to have half the players not voting at all.”

Another agent said he is planning to have a conference call with his players once a deal is reached to go over the propose contract. Said another, “We will review the deal ourselves, have it reviewed by lawyers and get the facts out there. There is a lot more technology available now. I don’t see why every player should not get his vote counted on this.”

If a deal gets done this weekend, there will not be the same pressure that there was in the ’98 lockout, which should afford players more time to go through the details of the contract.